Learn to Live Again
by twilighttwinkles12
Summary: Bella is a single mom with a four year old daughter, she moves in with her best friend Alice. When she meets her friendly new neighbor, he and her daughter become so close. What tradgedy will jeopordize this love? And are the jeopordizers the lovers? BxE
1. Chapter 1

Hi, twilighttwinkles12 here

**Hi, twilighttwinkles12 here! This is my first fanfiction, so just try and stick with it for the first couple chapters, and the story will get much better, I pinkie swear. ******** In the meantime, just have fun with it! Constructive criticism is welcome.**

_Summary: Bella is a single mom with a four year old daughter, and she moves in with her best friend Alice. When she meets her friendly new neighbor, he and her daughter become close. What tragedy will rip this love apart? And will it come strait from the roots of the love itself? BxE, all human_

I slowly drove down the winding gravel road, feeling every bump, thanks to my ancient truck. _Left, right, bump. Turn, bump, drive._ I was thinking hard, as usual.

"I was doing just fine on my own," I thought to myself. "Why am I coming here?"

I heard a snuffle from the backseat. I turned and looked behind me. What I saw made me smile all the time, no matter the circumstances.

"That's why." I confirmed, grinning.

I was moving in with my best friend Alice because of my daughter, Isabelle. She was four years old and had brown hair and brown eyes that sparkled in the sun, just like mine used to. Isabelle was my life and light, my everything, my only thing. Well, my only thing since Joseph.

"No, don't think about that." I silently scolded myself while I sealed those memories away. It hurt too much to think about them. I tried to focus on my driving.

"Mommy, where are we going?" I heard a groggy voice yawn. I turned back and saw Isabelle stretching in her car seat.

"We're going to visit one of mommy's friends, sweetheart. Now go back to sleep, we'll be there soon."

My daughter grinned excitedly. "Okay mommy. I love you."

"I love you too, angel."

A few minutes of silence followed this brief conversation. Then, I heard Isabelle's voice again:

"Mommy, why are we going to visit your friend? Is it because of me? Did I do something wrong? Is it my head-owies?" She looked at me with those big, puppy dog eyes.

"No, Isabelle, you did nothing wrong." I said in a hard voice. I then whispered, "It was mommy who did the wrong."

Isabelle had been having very severe seizures since she was two years old. It killed me to see her this way and not be able to do anything. I felt her pain tenfold. I was moving in with Alice because I could not handle her, or her medical bills, alone.

About twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Alice's house. My mouth just about fell down to the floor.

Over the phone, Alice had told me that her house would be just big enough for the three of us, just a simple country home. She under exaggerated just a little.

This home was painted a stunning, dark purple. But what were most impressive were the windows. Whole walls were made up of shards of the multicolored glass, each piece different from the next. When the sun hit them just right, they sent out a beam of sparkling sunshine.

I heard Izzy let out a gasp of air. "It's pretty!"

"Yeah," I breathed as I unstrapped her from her car seat. I had always known Alice to have an eye for design, but this was just amazing.

Speak of the devil and she will appear. I saw a hot pink blur race through the screen door and hit me in the gut, following with a bone-crunching hug.

"BELLA! YOU'RE HERE! I've been waiting for hours! I've missed you so much! Oh! This must be Isabelle! Alice's pixie-like features were lit up in delight. She picked up Izzy in her small arms and twirled her around in a circle. "You and I will be the best of friends, baby! I will take you shopping with me, no matter what your silly mommy says! I can tell you need it…" She appraised my daughter's simple baby-blue dress.

"Hey!" I said in mock anger. "That's my daughter's clothes you're insulting!" I grimaced at Alice.

"Well of course Mommy will come too, right Isabelle?" Alice and Izzy both looked up at me with pleading eyes, Alice's stormy gray ones and Isabelle's chocolate brown ones.

I mentally sighed. These girls have me twice wrapped around their little fingers.

"Fine," I reluctantly agreed, "but first we need to unpack.

Alice squealed in excitement. "Oh my gosh, I designed the spare room for both of you. You are going to LOVE it!"

My best friend took hold of my daughter's hand and led her to the house, beckoning me. Isabelle had an expression on her face like it was Christmas, almost exactly matched by Alice. I followed slowly behind them. Things didn't really excite me like they used to.

Once we were inside, I realized that each room had a color theme. The kitchen was a pale yellow, the dining room was a forest green, the bathroom was an orangey orange. As we stepped into Alice's room I was temporarily blinded. Everything was hot pink. Finally, Alice skipped to the very back of the house, and we ended up at a simple wooden door.

"Close your eyes! No peeking!" Alice practically peed in her pants from the excitement.

Isabelle and I walked into the room and stood in the center.

"Izzy, stop fidgeting!" I told my daughter.

"Okay, open your eyes!" Alice squeaked.

I heard my own intake of breath as I saw the room before me.

Everything was red. Light and Dark, pale and solid, textured. The bed had four posts and a red satin canopy. The bedspread was scalloped in a textured, fluttery way.

"Alice, I love it. It's perfect, thank you so much." I said in awe.

"I like it too!" Isabelle said, setting her dolly, Paige, on the bed.

"I knew you would like it. It's just so…YOU, Bella!" Alice squeezed me tight.

Alice left to make dinner, and I sat on the beautiful bed, holding my daughter close. This is where I would be raising her, watching her grow up in this wonderful glass house. I would sleep here every night with her. And I liked it. But there was still something nagging in the back of my head, something that was missing. And it scared me.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Dinner time," I heard Alice's soprano voice call. "Bella, get your butt in here now!"

I picked up Isabelle and made my way to the pale yellow kitchen. I smelled tomatoes.

"Mmmmm, lasagna," I purred.

"Homemade and fresh from the box!" Alice giggled.

I scooped up plates for myself and Isabelle and sat down. Alice took a gigantic piece for someone so small.

As I ate my delicious "homemade" lasagna, I half-listened to Alice prattle on about what had happened to her in the past few years. About moving to the country, her new house, the newest clothes and shoes that she had bought for me, and the amazing people living in the next house over. However, my mind was elsewhere.

I wondered if he would like it if I was here. If he would want me to move on, or just stay where I was. "I can't live this way forever" I thought. It's ruining me. What if…

I continued to fantasize until I heard Alice.

She was leaned over the table, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Bella. Bella! Time to come back from La-La Land. Your daughter here just about planted her face into her lasagna. I think it's time for bed."

"Oh, right." I returned to the painful real world. "Would you mind? I think she would enjoy getting to know her Auntie Alice better." I plastered a smile on my face.

"Alice looked at me suspiciously. "Alright. But when I get back you'd better be happy."

Isabelle skipped into my arms. "I love you mommy. I love our new home. I'll see you in the morning."

I wearily replied, "Goodnight Isabelle. Sleep tight, sweetie." She smiled a wide smile and she and Alice walked back to the red room.

I picked at my dinner, suddenly not hungry anymore. I kept on thinking about the new life that I was starting. I was nervous.

Suddenly, Alice was back in front of me.

"Bella, don't lie to me, because it won't work." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm your best friend and I can tell when something is wrong. Now, you'd better tell me. We need to talk."

That evil little too-observant red room-designing pixie. I gulped.

**So whaddya think so far? I'm sure that you can tell that Bella has gone through a lot of pain in her past. (Which will be revealed in the next chapter hint hint?) Edward will be in the picture soon, so don't worry fangirls. sigh This story is BxE, after all. Now, do you know what would make me EXTREMELY happy? If you took your little mouse, scrolled down, and used your left button to click on the little 'Go' button for reviews. It would make my day. Pweeeeese? puppy dog eyes If you do you get a virtual cookie! Thanks! **

**Hearts, twinkles**


	2. Chapter 2

My dear readers,

**My dear readers,**

**Alas! I have the next chapter! **

**angels sing the hallelujah chorus**

**A lot is explained about Bella's past in this chapter-so put on your thinking caps! Lots of dialogue comin' your way! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

"_Bella, don't lie to me, because it won't work." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm your best friend and I can tell when something is wrong. Now, you'd better tell me. We need to talk."_

_That evil little too-observant red room-designing pixie. I gulped._

"Well, don't just sit there with your mouth open. You look like a beached whale." Alice's expression softened a bit.

"A beached whale that doesn't want to talk to you," I retorted.

Alice looked hurt. "But I'm your best friend? Remember, in sixth grade, when we had those BFF necklaces? And we always used to tell eachother everything. We would go shopping together!"

Alice was started to get heated up. I braced myself.

"And for the past few years, you seem to have fallen off the deep end." Alice's voice cracked. "You don't answer my calls or my e-mails. I don't know anything about you anymore! And the reason I let you come here, with your four year old daughter, might I add, was because I wanted us to be friends again! Like old times! Bella, just, please, I care about you! Tell me what's wrong!!"

Alice was practically in tears now. And she had me feeling horrible. I mean, had I really fallen off the deep end? I loved Alice, but my hurt was so strong that I had no room in my heart for anyone but Isabelle. I knew now that I had to tell her.

"Ali?" I asked, using my childhood nickname for her.

"…yes?" she answered, looking hopeful.

"Please sit down. We have a lot to talk about." I gestured towards the green chair next to me. Alice quickly sat, and looked at me expectantly. I took a deep breath. This was going to be the first person I had ever talked to about Joseph.

"It all started when I was 18. I met him at college. His name was Joseph Graftwood, and he was from Phoenix. Already, we had something in common. We also had a few classes together. I guess it just kind of evolved from that. The more time I spent with him, the more I knew that we were meant to be together. He was my missing puzzle piece. Alice, I loved him." My voice broke.

"Did you ask him out?" Alice asked. She seemed to have calmed down a bit, and was listening with rapt attention.

"Actually, he asked me. He told me that he had loved me the moment he set eyes on me. Kind of a love at first sight thing." I expelled a dry chuckle.

"We spent all of our time together. I was always happy if I was with him, and he was always happy if he was with me. He promised that once we got out of college, we would be married."

"But that never happened, did it?" Alice confirmed with a grimace.

"No. But it was the night before our graduation. We decided to make that night even more special. I stayed over at his place that night.

She gasped. "You DIDN'T?!"

"We did. But I don't regret it." I said with a confidence I didn't know I had.

The next day, right after graduation, Joe proposed to me."

I heard Alice's intake of breath.

"I said yes. That day was one of the happiest days of my life."

"Then what happened?" my best friend asked, her eyes wide.

Well, a month or two later, I started getting weird pains in my abdomen. I bought a pregnancy test, and it was positive. I was three months along." I had to hold back a sob.

"Joe was thrilled. He had always wanted children, just like me." I managed a watery smile.

"6 months later, while I was at Joe's parent's house, my water broke. He was at work. My soon-to-be in-laws drove me to the hospital. I called Joe and told him the good news. He said he would get out of work right away and be at the hospital in about an hour. I was glad that he would be there to witness the birth of our first child."

"He never made it."

Alice let out a cry of pain.

I let the sobs loose now. I was gasping for air as the tears streamed down my cheeks. "Joe was in a car crash. A drunk driver came at him from the side and rammed into his car. The other driver was killed instantly. Joe, however, was transferred to the same hospital that I was in. He had 4 broken ribs, and severe head trauma. His skull was basically cracked in two."

Alice was also crying now.

My body was wracking with sobs, and it hurt. "I r-ran to his r-room in t-the h-hospital a f-few hours after I h-had our b-baby. I was w-worried that he h-hadn't shown up. It w-wasn't l-l-like him. H-he was all w-wrapped up in b-b-bandages and his b-body was c-covered in b-blood. I p-put our baby g-girl in h-his arms. H-his last w-words to m-me were 'Name her Isabelle. Be strong. I love you, Bella.' I c-couldn't stand how w-weak his voice sounded. I b-begged him not to l-leave me, to stay with me so we could get m-married, have lives, together."

I choked out, "He d-idn't listen. He died t-that day."

Alice ran to me and wrapped her arms around me. We were crying into eachother, both bearing my pain. "Oh my god, Bella, I never knew. I'm so sorry. For everything."

Now that I had gotten my story out, it seemed easier to talk to Alice.

"I just don't see why he had to leave. It hurt me so much."

"Bella, he would never hurt you intentionally. He loved you." Alice tried to comfort me.

"Well, I was hurt. And I've lived the past four years taking care of our child without him. It's been so damn hard, Alice. I've worked three jobs at a time for Isabelle. She's all I have left."

"I know, Bells. But now you're here, we're together. I can help you get your life back together. I can be Isabelle's daddy." She grinned a small grin at her joke. I surprised myself by mirroring that grin.

"Well, best friends can sure make you feel better. I don't know if they make the best dads, though."

For some reason, we both found this insanely funny. We laughed until our sides burned. I hadn't laughed this hard in years. I thought contentedly, "This is the way it's supposed to be. Two best friends, laughing together. Maybe this will work. Maybe Alice will teach me how to live again. And hopefully I'll be willing to learn."

I squeezed Alice as hard as I could, and she returned the favor.

Right as we were breaking apart, I heard a shrill scream.

"Isabelle!"

**Oooh, cliffy! Well I'm happy to get that particular scene off my chest. It wasn't the easiest to write. So now does everyone understand why Bella is so sad all the time? I hope so. I would be too!**

**When I read fanfictions, it always used to annoy me how authors would always say, "REVIEW!" at the end of a chapter. I mean, come on, it couldn't be that important! Now that I have gotten some reviews, I see why it is so addicting. Hahaha. It is my brand of heroin. (not really :D) Anyways, please review your little hearts out, and you will get a virtual brownie!**

**Hearts, twinkles**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bonjour, readers,**

**Sorry the update was a little slow this time around—school started and I've been supa busy! Hopefully it's worth it though: enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I do, however, own the plot of this story. Yay!**

Chapter 3

_I squeezed Alice as hard as I could, and she returned the favor._

_Right as we were breaking apart, I heard a shrill scream._

"_Isabelle!"_

Immediately my body went into shock. I knew that scream. It had haunted me night after night, and supplied some of my worst nightmares.

I sat where I was staring up at Alice, unable to move.

"Bella! What's wrong?!" Alice asked me in horror.

"It's Isabelle," I replied wearily, "and she's having a…a…seizure."

Right then, we heard a loud clunk coming from the red room.

"Well, let's not just sit here! Come on!" Alice pulled me up from my chair as I snapped back into reality. I dashed as fast as I could to our room. I knocked over many a glass vase in my clumsy sprint. All I could think of was my daughter. Why did Alice's house have to be so darn huge?

I heard another crash as I skidded to a halt in front of the door, Alice on my tail. I yanked open the door and this sight scared me half to death.

Isabelle was on the floor, her body a wrangled mess. It looked as if she had fallen off the bed, which explained the clunk. Her face had no color at all, and her breathing was ragged. Her arms and legs were jerking violently. But the scariest part of this picture was that there was a man holding her. I immediately went into mother-mode.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! WHO ARE YOU?! GET THE HELL OFF OF MY DAUGHTER!" I picked up a pillow and started whacking the man as hard as I could, while he tried to lift up his arms to protect himself. I could hear Alice shouting in the background, but I paid no attention to her. She would wait.

"Wait! Stop, please, I can explain!" The man grabbed me around the waist so I would stop hitting him. I instantly felt woozy. His warm arms encircled me in a restraining, yet loving, manner. I loved the feel of his body on mine. I instantly went limp in his embrace.

I heard Alice's voice cut into my fantasy. "I believe this is time for an introduction. Edward Cullen, this is Bella Swan. Bella, this is our next-door neighbor, Edward." She emphasized the word neighbor, her voice thick with some hidden message I was supposed to understand.

I carefully extracted myself from Edward's arms. "Hello, Mr. Cullen. I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances." My cheeks flushed a deep rose.

I took this time to examine Edward Cullen. I think it was safe to say this was the most physically attractive man I had ever seen in my life. His hair was a deep shade of bronze with flecks of mahogany, casually ruffled, as if he had just stepped in from a windy day. His face was pale like the moon, but still soft and clear. He had high cheekbones and emerald orbs that reflected the light in the small room. He was wearing a light brown turtleneck sweater that hugged his muscles like a skin. I stared up at him in awe.

"Hello, Miss Swan. Please call me Edward." His eyes sparkled as he smiled a handsome, crooked smile showing off his beautifully white teeth. He was still staring straight down at Isabelle, holding her gently in his arms while she writhed and twitched. I could see the fear in his eyes for my little daughter.

"Please, call me Bella."

I sighed. "Now that I know you're not some weird stalker man trying to assault my child, could you please quickly explain to me what you are doing in my room so I can take care of my daughter?"

Edward glanced at Isabelle again. "Is she alright?" he asked, worry darkening his tone.

I also looked at Isabelle. I realized that the worst of her seizure was over. She was still jerking her body, but some of the color had returned to her cheeks.

"I think so." Isabelle's safety was my first priority.

Edward gently laid Isabelle down on my bed next to her doll Paige, and sighed.

"Well, I was in the middle of eating dinner when I heard a sharp shrieking coming from your house. My windows were open, and since our homes are very close, it was easy to hear. I immediately stopped eating and ran up to your porch and into this room. I saw your little girl on the floor, screaming and convulsing, and I knew that something was wrong. I held her and tried to stop her from hurting herself. She looked so helpless, lying on the floor. I just couldn't leave her." He stroked Isabelle's hair and looked up at me with the man-equivalent of puppy dog eyes.

"That was when you walked in and started hitting me with a pillow." His eyes narrowed.

I, of course, blushed. "I'm really sorry for hitting you with a pillow. I kind of went into super-mom mode, you know?" I smiled, and he surprisingly laughed, a light, carefree, and woody laugh.

At this point, I looked over at Alice. She had a satisfied smirk on her face, and I had no idea why.

I turned my attention back to Edward. "Well, thank you. Really, you saved Isabelle. She really could have hurt herself."

"You're welcome. And in saving her, I got to meet you. So that was definitely a plus." He smiled that darn crooked smile again. Was he _trying_ to make me melt? It was pretty much working.

Alice bopped up from her seat on the carpet. "Would you like to go out to dinner with us tomorrow, Edward? I'm sure Bella and Isabelle would love to get to know you." I shot devil eyes at her.

"That would be very nice. Thank you, Alice. Goodbye, Bella." He opened the sliding door and left from the back porch that I hadn't noticed before.

"Bye." I said. I spun around to examine Isabelle. Her breathing was ragged, but her eyes were open and she was aware. I sat down next to her on the bed.

"How're you feeling, baby?" I asked her, caressing her cheek.

"My head hurts, Mommy. Who was that boy? He was nice…" She smiled weakly up at me.

"That was Edward, sweet-pea. You can meet him tomorrow, how does that sound?"

"Good." Her chocolate eyes twinkled. "I'm sleepy, Mommy. Can I go back to bed?"

"Sure, Iz. Let me just give you your medicine." Isabelle made a face and Alice giggled.

Isabelle gulped down two pills and I put up her bed guards so she wouldn't fall out again. I cursed myself for forgetting to put them up. "Goodnight, babe. I love you."

"Goodnight, Mommy. Goodnight, Auntie Alice." Alice's face lit up at the term "auntie."

I shut off the light and Alice and I both walked out of the room. We sat down in the tangerine living room, and I slapped myself in the face. "Stupid, stupid!" I exclaimed.

Alice grimaced. "Bella, you haven't changed a bit. Stop blaming yourself for everything. Isabelle is okay, no one was hurt. No damage done. Relax!"

I stewed as I pondered her words. I didn't blame myself for everything; only when it was my fault!

Alice tried to change the subject. "So, what do you think of Edward?"

"He's fine. Nice. I guess I like him" I didn't feel like talking about Mr. Gorgeous right now.

"Like, or _like-like_? Alice giggled like a little school girl. I shot a quizzical look at her.

Alice explained, "Well, it's obvious you thought he was amazing. You should have seen the look on your face when he grabbed you!"

"What are you talking about?!" I shot at Alice.

She continued as if she hadn't heard me. "Oh, and the way he just _gazed_ at you!" Alice squealed. "It was love at first sight, just like I planned!"

**Tada! Edward is finally in the story. Yay! I tried to make the seizure details as correct as possible, since I don't know anybody who has them. If anyone knows more about them, feel free to PM me!**

**REVIEW!! This time you get a virtual slice of chocolate-chip banana bread! Yummm…**

**Hearts, twinkles.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, Supa-Stars!**

**It's me again! Long time no see! I haven't been writing for a while because I found out that my Grandma broke her arm and had to have surgery, and my aunt has two blood clots on her lungs and one of her lungs collapsed. She is in ICU at the hospital. In addition to that, my sister has contracted a disease that doesn't allow her to eat gluten, which is found in all carbohydrates and many meats, fruits, and vegetables, and my best friend's sister has diabetes. So, I've been a little sad. But, I couldn't desert you, my lovely readers, could I?! **

**Speaking of wonderful readers, I would like to mention everyone that has reviewed so far. You guys rock my socks! (And that's really saying something because I'm not wearing any! :D) ishha, Emmy Cullen, XOXtopazeyesXOX, A is for Angel, xxlinds427xx, TheCullensAreMINE, XvamprincessX038, frequentlydaaaazled, davidsmommy, Fatima-FireandIce, runswithvamp, weaknessisour-strength, and twilightobsessed23 rock!**

**Now I'm back and hopefully better than ever! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, with credits to the brilliant Stephenie Meyer.**

"_What are you talking about?!" I shot at Alice._

_She continued as if she hadn't heard me. "Oh, and the way he just __gazed__ at you!" Alice squealed. "It was love at first sight, just like I planned!"_

Chapter 4

_I was cruising along the highway, in a giddy haze. I leaned my head out the window as I watched the bright lights of the city float by, feeling the rush of the wind on my cheeks as I did so. I was in complete and total bliss, flying across the earth on a cloud._

_I closed the window, and turned my head to look at my "chauffeur." His eyes lit up as he saw me looking at him._

"_Bella, I love you," the man whispered, caressing my cheek. The feeling was radiating off of him, making me feel at peace. "Will you marry me?"_

_I took in his large, hazel eyes, and his sleek, black hair. I followed the line of his soft lips with my fingertips, noticing every curve and texture._

_I parted my own lips to answer when I saw a dark blur flash out of the corner of my eye. Through my dreamlike haze, I could see a face that was as pale as the moon, with deep, green eyes. The moving blur was coming straight for me. And fast._

_The man saw it too, and he threw himself in front of my small body._

"_Joseph, NO!" I screamed._

I awoke with a start. I realized that I was drenched in sweat, and my body was shaking uncontrollably.

I peeked at the clock. It read 5:30 a.m. "Well, might as well get up," I thought to myself. There was no way I would be able to get back to sleep anyways.

I wearily climbed out of the bed, being careful not to wake Isabelle. I took in my surroundings and gasped. I had completely forgotten that this was my first night at Alice's house.

I walked to my suitcase, which I had yet to unpack, and pulled out my favorite pair of gray sweats. I pulled them on, trying not to think about my dream, and especially not about the person it was centered on. Or should I say, persons. I shuddered.

I quietly tip-toed out of the red room and into the hallway. I glanced into Alice's room and saw her body form lying peacefully under her frilly pink comforter. I grinned.

Once I had reached the kitchen, I pulled out the pancake mix. I thought it would be nice to make breakfast for Alice to show my appreciation for everything she had already done for me. Plus, Isabelle loved pancakes.

I mixed up the batter and dolloped a few pancakes onto the griddle, and slapped a few pieces of bacon in a skillet. I turned around to grab the orange juice when I came head-on with a green monster.

"OH MY GOD!!" I screamed, backing away from the creature. It was dressed in a…purple bathrobe?

"BELLA! What the heck!? You scared me!" It was Alice, and she just had some kind of avocado-mask gunk all over her face.

"What're you doing up so early, Al?" I gave her a questioning look.

"The same could be said for you, Miss Early Riser." Alice smirked. "Any late-night visitors that I should know about?"

She would not give this Edward thing a rest! I sighed, and ignored her question, thinking about my dream. It was then that the phone rang.

Alice ran into the living room to pick it up. I sat down at the island and waited. I wasn't exactly eavesdropping, but I was curious as to who was calling at 6:00 in the morning.

"Hello?" I heard Alice's voice. "Oh, hey! I was just about to call you!"

There was a short pause.

"Mhhhmm… sure. Well, I'm kinda busy today. I'm going shopping with my long-lost BFF!"

I hiccupped in surprise. Who said we were going shopping?

"Well of course you can come! We'll be over at 8:00. See ya!"

Alice skipped back into the kitchen, on her toes all the way. "Ouch," I thought. If I tried to do that, my feet would crack from my weight.

"Who was th-," I was interrupted by the sharp beeeep-beeeeep of the smoke alarm.

"The pancakes!" I exclaimed in surprise. The phone call had completely distracted me from what I was cooking.

Alice hurriedly unplugged the griddle, grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and doused the griddle. Thank goodness, the smoke alarm turned off.

I peeked through my fingers at Alice. I hoped she wasn't mad. When I looked up she had a mile-long smile on her face.

"Great way to start the day, huh?" She laughed.

I let out a nervous giggle. "Yea. Sorry, I just wanted to make you breakfast!" I made sad eyes at her."

"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?" She asked with a smile.

At that moment, Isabelle walked into the kitchen, her long, brown hair in tangles down her back. She was rubbing the sleep out of her hazel eyes. It was amazing how much they looked like her father's.

"What are you doing up, Isabelle?" Alice questioned. "It's very early for you."

"I heard a beep, so I came to see what was wrong. I had to save you and Mommy!"

I smiled at her thought.

"Well hon, mommy made pancakes, but they kind of…burned. So how does cereal sound?" I looked at my daughter apologetically.

"Fine," she replied. "Coco Puffs with orange juice, please!" The look on her face was maniacal.

Alice made a face. "Coco Puffs with orange juice in them? Ewww…"

Isabelle stared at Alice. "That's cuz' you haven't tried them, Auntie. Common, pleeeeease?"

I handed Isabelle her breakfast with a few snippets of bacon, and then gave both her and Alice a spoon.

The look on my best friend's face was priceless as she took the first bite. It started as one of disgust, then one of deep thought, and finally, one of complete delight.

Isabelle smiled in triumph. "See, Auntie, I told you you would like them!"

I knowingly handed Alice another bowl, and she dug in. I took the rest of the bacon for my breakfast.

We all sat down at the breakfast island. While the two girls were chowing down, I was playing with my bacon.

"Hey, who was that that called?" I asked Alice. "And since when were we going shopping?"

Alice looked up at me, her cheeks bulging with cereal.

"That was my friend Rosalie Hale," she said through a mouthful of Coco Puffs. "And we're going shopping because we have to get you an outfit for dinner tonight, silly! You have to look perfect for Edward."

My stomach dropped. I had completely forgotten about dinner with Edward tonight.

I let out a groan. "Ali, do we have to? I really don't feel like doing anything today."

Isabelle was watching the whole conversation attentively.

"I wanna go shopping with Auntie Alice!" she whined, shooting a grin at her as she said it.

"You heard your daughter, let's go!" Alice had a devilish look on her face.

I groaned again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately.

"Fine. But I get veto privileges."

Alice and Izzy both cheered. Alice grabbed their empty dishes and threw them in the dishwasher.

"You're mine now, Isabelle," she cackled, and they both ran off into Alice's room.

I just stared at my bacon for a while.

"Well, it's just you and me now, old buddy," I remarked.

I was talking to bacon. How strange.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

We were riding along the country road in Alice's Porsche 911 Turbo, and my hair was whipping around in my face. I wished I had put it in a ponytail.

Thankfully, I had changed out of my old sweats into dark blue jeans and an orange, babydoll-style blouse.

Isabelle was sitting in the backseat, happily humming in her carseat. Alice had put her brown hair, which was nearly identical to mine, into two long pigtails. Apparently, Alice could pull children's clothes out of thin air, because she had dressed Iz in an off-white cable knit sweater with big buttons. I had to admit it was pretty cute.

I was riding shotgun, and I turned to look at Alice. Boy, she was a handful in her pink paneled topand big white sunglasses. (**All pics on profile.)**

I fidgeted in my seat. It seemed like we'd been driving for a while.

Alice noticed my wriggling. "Don't worry," she said in an exasperated voice. "We're almost to Rosalie's house."

I sighed in relief. I then peeked back at Isabelle again.

"Now, Isabelle Angelina Swan, you'd better remember your manners with Rosalie, alright?" I looked at her sternly.

"If you're a good girl, Auntie Alice will buy you a new dress!" Alice squealed.

"Yay!" Isabelle exclaimed as we finally pulled into Rosalie's driveway. Her house was tan and pretty-good sized with a lot of windows.

Rosalie herself came out to meet us. I instantly was impressed by her long, blonde hair and supermodel body. She was wearing a knitted purple sweater-dress with leggings. She waved at us friendlily, and I waved back.

She stepped gracefully into the car, and I introduced myself.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, Alice's friend, and this is my daughter Isabelle."

"I'm four!" Isabelle proudly stated.

Rosalie giggled girlishly. "Nice to meet both of you. Now are we ready to get this show on the road?!"

Alice, Isabelle, and Rosalie all cheered while I slumped into my seat. Now that we were in the city, the mall was only a few miles away.

Once we arrived, Alice parked the car in the closest spot to the mall doors. I dragged myself out of the car and unbuckled Isabelle from her carseat.

Alice picked up Izzy in her arms and we all (except for me) went sprinting into the super-sized mall, with my daughter squealing in excitement. She got more like Alice every day.

Alice and Rosalie led us around the mall, bragging like they knew it like the back of their hand. Our first stop was Victoria's Secret, a store that I had never even looked in, let alone buy something from.

The minute we stepped in the store, Rosalie's eyes went huge. They were locked on a slim fitting, tiered blue satin dress. I could tell how perfect it would look with her hair and deep blue eyes.

"Get it, Rose!" I exclaimed, now more excited that things had actually started happening. "You would look amazing in it."

"Thanks, Bella," Rosalie blushed. "You're sure it's not too dressy?"

"Not at all, Rose. Go try it on." I smiled encouragingly at her.

Alice and I continued to browse while Rosalie went to try on her dress.

"Oh.My.Gosh. Bella this is perfect for you!" Alice handed me a very revealing black and white checkered dress. I held it up against my body.

"No way, Ali. This mama won't fit in that dress."

Alice pouted until she found a dress of her own; a gray-and-white striped, short, turtleneck sweater-style one.

Rosalie and Alice checked out with their purchases, and we moved on to the next store, and the next, and the next. It took me forever to find the perfect dress. Alice and Rosalie kept on pushing me forward, along with Isabelle, who was thoroughly enjoying herself. She had ended up buying a long, pink, ruffled dress from Gap, not wanting to be left out.

We stopped at a store called Ralph Lauren. The thing that scared me most about this store was the price tags.

We walked around and around in the store, and eventually Isabelle and I couldn't find Alice and Rosalie. We both trotted to the very back of the store, where we found them both staring at a dress. I turned my attention toward it and gasped.

It was perfect. All it was was a simple, white dress with buttons that had shimmery stripes at the hem. I loved it. **(All pics on profile.)**

My friends said in unison, "TRY IT ON, BELLA!" so I did.

Once Alice had helped me with the zipper, I looked at my reflection.

"Mommy, you're beautiful!" Isabelle practically yelled. I gave her my widest grin.

I twirled in the mirror. I loved the way the dress moved when I put it on.

I changed, and our group went to the register to pay.

I handed the cashier money, but Alice had already whipped out her credit card.

"NO, Alice! It's my dress, I'll pay for it."

Alice smirked. "Think of it as a coming-back present from me and Rosalie."

Rosalie laughed and shared a look with Alice.

I realized that they weren't going to back down, so I let them pay.

We left the store, and finally made it to Alice's car. I looked at the clock on my cell phone. It was already 3:30. Who knew three and a half people could spend so much time shopping?!

Once everyone was situated, we sped out onto the highway. Isabelle was asleep within minutes. She hadn't had her nap, so I guess she was making up for it.

Alice, Rosalie, and I talked quietly for a while. We invited Rosalie to dinner, and she accepted. All other thoughts of the dinner looming in the distance left my mind.

We slowly pulled up to Alice's gigantic home, went inside, and sat down in her tangerine living room. I gently laid Isabelle down on the sectional couch.

Rosalie turned her attention to me. "So, Bella, are you ready to get made over for the great Edward Cullen?"

My jaw dropped. "Made over?!"

**Voila! The amazing chapter four is over and done with. This was mainly filler; we'll get to the juicy stuff in the next chapter!**

**I've decided to start asking a question for every chapter that you can answer in a review if you want. Today's question is…**

**Where did your fanfiction username originate from?**

**So, you like? You hate? Feeling hyper? Tell me in a review! You'll get your name in the next chapter! Yay!**

**Sicerely, twinkles**


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